(The Center Square) – An improvised explosive device was planted at MacDill Air Force Base, home of the headquarters for U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command, according to the FBI.
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the report, adding that a brother and sister “have now been indicted.” The suspects have been identified as Alen Zheng and Ann Mary Zheng.
“One is in custody for accessory and evidence tampering and the primary suspect is charged with explosives offenses and is currently in China,” according to a social media post from Patel.
Gregory Kehoe, U.S. attorney for Central Florida, confirmed the device did not detonate; however, minutes after it was planted at the Tampa, Fla., base, a 911 call was made indicating a device had been placed on the base.
“When that phone call came in, no location for that bomb was, in fact, given in that 911 call. The device was found on base six days later,” Kehoe explained.
The attorney added that no one was injured in connection with the case.
The announcement of the indictment comes more than a week after the FBI Tampa reported a “suspicious package” was found at the MacDill Air Force Base Visitors Center on March 16.
MacDill Air Force Base is located on a peninsula in South Tampa, surrounded by Tampa Bay. CENTCOM oversees Operation Epic Fury, now in its third week of strikes against Iran.
